The student movement, which began with educational demands, led to political changes that forced King to go to a referendum. Despite the defeat of multiple parties in the referendum, the leaders of political science say that the student movement of 2036 was the entry point to weaken the panchayat system. Leaders and leadership were produced from the campus. Panchayats also collapsed during the decade when students were given the right to start organizations.
An autocratic panchayat system began in the country in 2017 after the then King Mahendra deposed the two-thirds elected government led by BP Koirala. All Congress and Communist leaders including BP were imprisoned. The panchayat government not only banned political activities at that time, but also killed leaders.
As the political situation became complicated, the students took the front of the movement. For that, on the initiative of Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, in 2027, under the leadership of Vipin Koirala, students close to the Congress were organized under the name of Nepal Vidyarthi Sangh. After the Panchayat government promulgated the new Education Act in 2028, the students became the target of agitation against the Panchayat. While the background of the
movement was being re-prepared, the Panchayat government formed a nationalist student body close to them in order to prevent the anti-panchayat students from organizing and attacking them physically. The 'mandles' associated with it intensified the work of beating, arresting and abusing anti-panchayat students in colleges including central campus Kirtipur. The government itself mobilized them. Panchayat hooliganism and government repression made the students more angry against the Panchayat.
Some of the leading students of the central campus started discussing the strategy of agitation by putting forward educational demands. They planned to protest by raising educational demands saying that political issues could be more suppressed. Bal Bahadur KC, a 25-year-old leader of the Navy, led the movement. Communist parties that won four seats from across the country in the 2015 general election were organizationally weak as they were divided into different factions.
Even in the Congress, there was a difference of opinion on whether to protest or not. BP thought that the agitation should be done so that the reconciliation policy is not affected . Some Congress leaders questioned the policy of reconciliation and started advocating agitation. Leader KC remembers, "While reminding the workers about reconciliation, BP said, 'The fight is for the sake of democracy, but the neck is tied with the king in the matter of nationality'." At that time, a large congregation of students supported CPN (Malay) led by CP Mainali. During the Jhapa movement, activities were carried out under the name of All Nepal Revolutionary Co-ordination Center (MALE). Kathmandu's student leader Tank Karki was also helping Mainali's movement.
A 26-year-old Sharanvikram Malla Thakuri led a student organization close to Pushpalal's views on the central campus. Kailash Karki was the president of the Nepal National Students Federation (Neravife), a student organization close to Manandhar. Karki was active in political activities in Saptari even before he came to Kathmandu to study post-graduation.
Three student organization leaders KC, Malla and Karki were the leaders of the movement at that time. Casey was like the unofficial coordinator. Tank says, "At that time, whatever organizations started the movement, except for the New Union, the influence of the Male group was greater."
In the 30s there was extreme repression by the Panchayati government. It was not easy to exchange information with each other due to the extreme repression of the autocratic regime at that time. Leaders including KC of Navy Sangh, Malla of Akhil and Karki of Neravise prepared a 26-point educational demand on 20th January 2035 to make the movement effective by integrating the students in 2035/36.
According to the then UN leader KC, the news came that Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged on April 4, 1979 (2035 Chait 22) while the movement was going on in various ways to fulfill educational demands. While there were calls for BP to be hanged by punches, the incident in Pakistan shocked the students. They prepared to give a letter of protest against the execution at the Pakistani embassy.
The procession led by KC, Malla and Karki, which started from Trichandra College, clashed with the police in Lainchaur. Many students were injured when the police lathi-charged, and the leader of the Navy, KC, was arrested. During the protest, demands were also added that the leaders including KC should be released and the injured should be treated. After the arrest of KC, it was decided to intensify the movement by closing educational institutions across the country. For that, it was decided to form an 'Action Committee' of 9 people by keeping three/three people from all the three student organizations.
Voters queuing to vote in the referendum. Photo: Nepal Pichkar Library/Visweshwar Prasad Rimal
Action Committee announced the closure of 25 colleges in Kathmandu Valley. After the bandh was successful, the protestors became more excited. But Karki and Malla, who were sitting in the action committee, were arrested by the police. Malla remembers, 'We were also arrested when Bal Bahadurji was in police custody.' Educational institutions were being closed not only in Kathmandu Valley, but all over the country. Students were severely suppressed in city market colleges across the country including Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Palpa Janakpur.
At that time, the students were more afraid of Mandalay, which was mobilized by the Panchayat than the police. Leader KC says, "The panchayat spent a lot of money on mandal operations. It was the Panchayat leaders who mobilized the Mandal students. Even though the student leaders were in jail, the movement spread across the country.
Unable to stop the student movement, then King Birendra formed a royal commission under the chairmanship of Supreme Court Judge Dhanendra Singh with Surendra Bahadur Basnet to solve the problem. After repeated negotiations, it was agreed to meet most of the demands of the students, including the right to open an independent student union on the campuses, abolishing the Nationalist Student Mandal, and releasing the jailed leaders.
Leader KC says that the achievement given by the student movement is historic. He says that the movement of 2036 should be written in golden letters in the student movement of Nepal. On the night of 7th June 2036, an agreement was reached between the royal commission and the protesting students.
KC, Karki and Malla were presenting the agreement with the government as it is the responsibility of the leadership to implement the consensus decision. On 9th May 2036, KC and Malla were molested at Askal College in Lanchaur. Both the leaders were taken down from the platform, dressed in jute sacks, garlanded with shoes and black cloths and taken in a chariot and taken around the city.
The country was becoming a kind of unrest, fearing from the same background, King Birendra announced a referendum on the night of 10th June 2036 . The student movement, which began with educational demands, led to political changes that forced King to go to a referendum.
Despite the defeat of the multi-party referendum, the leaders of political science say that the student movement of 2036 was the entry point for weakening the panchayat system. Leaders and leadership were produced from the campus. Panchayats also collapsed during the decade when students were given the right to start organizations.
